Friday, January 20th!

TGIF!  Go Ravens!

We shared thoughts on the ending, using descriptive words and personal take-aways.

Blue section looked back at J and TC's first meeting in Chapt. 10 and then reflected on how far they had come together by Chapt. 18

other discussion questions:
1.  Why do Janie's friends "turn" on her?
2.  Why do they then forgive her?
3.  What does the seed packet represent?
4.  What does Janie mean when she says that love is not like a grindstone but is like the sea?

Exit ticket was a quiz.

Wednesday/Thurdsay 1/18 & 19

We watched a sultry clip of the movie to better understand and visualize the "muck," the fields, the lake and the storm.  It also showed the passion between Tea Cake and Janie.

Other topics of converstation:
Mrs. Turner- we were challenged to describe her in one sentence without using bad words!

The passage about Gods and how their worship requires blood - top of pg. 145

We looked closer at the fight that broke out in Mrs. Turner's restaurant and possibility that it was a set up of Tea Cake's in retaliation. Chapter 17

Lastly, we spent some time discussing the 2 allusions to the title of the book on at pg. 159 & 160

before leaving class we watched and listened to an inspirational song by Kirk Franklin called "Smile." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8SPwT3nQZ8

Tuesday, January 17th

Today we opened with our Gator Lou and sharing places we annotated from the weekend's reading.  Their were awesome contributions.  Please continue to underline, highlight, circle, and annotate in your book.  This will  help with the open-book test next week.  The next exercise took us deeper into chapter 9 looking for figurative language and the power it has!

English H- 1/12/12

Janie 1-4

Janie is a confident, outspoken young woman who is naive about the reality of her dreams and desire.

• Wants to find love

Janie 5-6

Keeps to herself, she becomes what he wants her to be, and becomes herself again after Joe's death.

• She was submissive, but fought back a little, which angered Joe, and ruined their marriage
• She became what he wanted her to be so that she could please him and be happy

Joe

Joe Starks is an insecure man who is unsatisfied regardless of the fortune he has. As a result, he strives to control people, especially Janie, by degrading and insulting her. Joe's source of confidence and power derives from townspeople's respect and fear of him. However, Janie sees through his facade, which threaten's his power and masculinity he feels he is entitled to.

• Doesn't acknowledge all the good he has
• Instead of communicating with Janie, he insults her because he doesn't want any other man to look at her

Mule

Death of the mule= death of their marriage

She is the mule, and the death symbolizes the death of her old self; she begins to talk more

Funeral: may have tried to preserve the live image of the mule; bought the mule for her, but didn't let her go to the funeral with the "common folk"

Petal open

Full openness, vulnerable

Its closed, tight, protective

Not sleeping together

Mrs. Robbins

Another example of men not treating women fairly

Extra Notes

Janie is pretty at 40, being mature, but feeling like a teenager

Both husbands loved her, but she was so beautiful that they felt jealous and threatened

Both men pushed her away

1/11/12

Janie- Chapters 1-4
Janie is a confident, independent, ambitious, young woman who is reflective and deep. She yearns for the fulfillment of her dreams, and exhibits a rebellious and naive spirit.

If she is confident why does she let the people in her life (her grandmother and husbands) dictate what she does?
- She gets confidence from her experiences

Janie- Chapters 5-6
Janie is a naive woman who obsesses over the perfect picture love, but through her cycle of love she discovers that she can not find it. She matures through this passive resistance, forming her own opinions but not strongly advocating herself.

Joe
Joe Starks is an egotistical tyrant who overcompensates to hide his insecurities about himself and his relationship with Janie.
- He uses his voice to compensate for his insecurities.
- We learn more about his insecurities on his death bed.
- He is frustrated that Janie is not completely happy with him.
- He is a good mayor and everyone likes him.
When Mrs. Robins comes in and asks for food he gives her a tiny piece even though he has the means to give her more. His reason is that her husband comes in and buys lots of food each week. Why does she need more? Joe then charges the food he gives Mrs. Robins to the account. It is an example of how women are being put down by men.

Janie and Joe Notes
Janie is threatened by Joe's control
Joe wants to be King and have everyone be his peasants.
Joe is a horrible communicator which is why their marriage has so many problems.

Symbol and significance of the mule

• the mule symbolizes women
• Logan and Janie? Working?
  
• does it symbolize Joe or Janie?
• foreshadowing Joe's death
• the mule is stubborn like Janie. Janie wants true love and she is fighting for it. The mule runs away from work until he gets what he wants.
• mule could represent both
• when the mule died he got his freedom from everything and when Joe dies Janie got her freedom
• "A free mule in town was something new to talk about" - when Janie in the first chapter walks back into town and everyone is talking about her

**Janie and the pear tree relating to the tree of life

How do you picture Janie? Is she old?
She is not that old at all. She feels she is still very young!